Women Journalists in India Swimming Against the Tide

Contents: 1. Introduction. 2. Gender inequality in India: an outline. 3. Issues and concerns of women journalists: an overview. 4. Review of literature: status of women journalists. 5. Statement of the problem need for the study objectives and methodology. 6. Data presentation and analysis: A quantitative study. 7. Data presentation and analysis: a qualitative study. 8. Findings and conclusions. Bibliography. I was always interested in women's issues and from childhood rebelled against the socio-cultural restrictions on women. As part of this rebellion, I opted to study journalism in 1974 in Osmania University since women either studying journalism or practicing the profession, were in a very small minority. I passed up a better paid bank job in preference for a low paying job in a newspaper determined to make a career in journalism. I begin my career on the desk as sub-editor in Deccan Herald in Bangalore. Three years later when I moved to Hyderabad and tried to find a job in journalism. I found that my two awards, one for investigative reporting and another for the best feature story and three years of experience as sub editor reporter were worthless since all the newspapers and news agencies had already one women reporter sub editor on their rolls, and a second one was seen as a burden. I had no choice but to move away from journalism. However i returned to it eight years later after doing research in a rural development institute and teaching in a university as journalism was my first love. It did not disappoint.